Olivier Thoumine
After completing an engineering degree at Ecole Centrale Paris, I carried out my Ph.D. at Georgia Tech (Atlanta), where I studied integrin-dependent mechanotransduction in the response of endothelial cells to hemodynamic forces.
During my post-docs at Institut Curie (Paris) and Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale (Lausanne), I designed micromanipulation methods to precisely quantify the response of cells to mechanical deformations.
After my recruitment by the CNRS in the team of Daniel Choquet (Bordeaux), I developed biomimetic systems coupled with high resolution imaging and predictive biophysical models, to probe the role of the cytoskeleton and adhesion proteins in growth cone motility and synaptogenesis.
Then, I led an independent team at the Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience from 2010 to 2023, focusing on the dynamics, localization, and function of synaptic adhesion molecules.
In 2013, I spent a sabbatical year at UC Berkeley, learning optogenetics. In 2024, I joined the Team Quantitative Imaging of the Cell, where I develop projects around multimodal super-resolution imaging of synapses in 3D neuronal samples.
Scientific articles
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Neurospheres from primary rodent brain cells to probe the 3D organization and function of synapses
. 2026-03-19.
10.64898/2026.03.19.712855 -
High-affinity detection of biotinylated endogenous neuroligin-1 at excitatory and inhibitory synapses using a tagged knock-in mouse
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.. 2025-05-27. 122(22)
10.1073/pnas.2411669122 -
Synaptogenic Assays Using Primary Neurons Cultured on Micropatterned Substrates
Methods in Molecular Biology. 2025-01-01. : 3-26.
10.1007/978-1-0716-4446-1_1 -
LRRTM2 controls presynapse nano-organization and AMPA receptor sub-positioning through Neurexin-binding interface
Nat Commun. 2024-10-11. 15(1)
10.1038/s41467-024-53090-y -
Protocol for matching protein localization to synapse morphology in primary rat neurons by correlative super-resolution microscopy
STAR Protocols. 2024-09-01. 5(3) : 103160.
10.1016/j.xpro.2024.103160 -
Neuroligin-1 dependent phosphotyrosine signaling in excitatory synapse differentiation
Front. Mol. Neurosci.. 2024-05-15. 17
10.3389/fnmol.2024.1359067 -
miR ‐124‐dependent tagging of synapses by synaptopodin enables input‐specific homeostatic plasticity
The EMBO Journal. 2022-07-25.
10.15252/embj.2021109012 -
MDGAs are fast-diffusing molecules that delay excitatory synapse development by altering neuroligin behavior.
eLife. 2022-05-09. 11
10.7554/elife.75233 -
High-Resolution Fluorescence Imaging Combined With Computer Simulations to Quantitate Surface Dynamics and Nanoscale Organization of Neuroligin-1 at Synapses.
Front. Synaptic Neurosci.. 2022-04-25. 14
10.3389/fnsyn.2022.835427 -
Convergence of adenosine and GABA signaling for synapse stabilization during development.
Science. 2021-11-05. 374(6568)
10.1126/science.abk2055 -
Role of regulatory C‐terminal motifs in synaptic confinement of LRRTM2
Biol. Cell. 2021-09-27.
10.1111/boc.202100026 -
SlitC-PlexinA1 mediates iterative inhibition for orderly passage of spinal commissural axons through the floor plate.
eLife. 2020-12-21. 9
10.7554/elife.63205 -
FluoSim: simulator of single molecule dynamics for fluorescence live-cell and super-resolution imaging of membrane proteins.
Sci Rep. 2020-11-17. 10(1)
10.1038/s41598-020-75814-y -
Alternative splicing at neuroligin site A regulates glycan interaction and synaptogenic activity
eLife. 2020-09-11. 9
10.7554/elife.58668 -
Optogenetic control of excitatory post-synaptic differentiation through neuroligin-1 tyrosine phosphorylation
eLife. 2020-04-23. 9
10.7554/elife.52027 -
FluoSim: simulator of single molecule dynamics for fluorescence live-cell and super-resolution imaging of membrane proteins
. 2020-02-06.
10.1101/2020.02.06.937045 -
Vangl2 acts at the interface between actin and N-cadherin to modulate mammalian neuronal outgrowth
eLife. 2020-01-07. 9
10.7554/eLife.51822 -
miRNA-Dependent Control of Homeostatic Plasticity in Neurons
Front. Cell. Neurosci.. 2019-12-05. 13
10.3389/fncel.2019.00536 -
A super-resolution platform for correlative live single-molecule imaging and STED microscopy
Nat Methods. 2019-10-21.
10.1038/s41592-019-0611-8 -
A Spatiotemporal Sequence of Sensitization to Slits and Semaphorins Orchestrates Commissural Axon Navigation.
Cell Reports. 2019-10-01. 29(2) : 347-362.e5.
10.1016/j.celrep.2019.08.098 -
TSPAN5 Enriched Microdomains Provide a Platform for Dendritic Spine Maturation through Neuroligin-1 Clustering
Cell Reports. 2019-10-01. 29(5) : 1130-1146.e8.
10.1016/j.celrep.2019.09.051 -
Differential role of pre- and postsynaptic neurons in the activity-dependent control of synaptic strengths across dendrites
PLoS Biol. 2019-06-05. 17(6) : e2006223.
10.1371/journal.pbio.2006223 -
Biophysical mechanisms underlying the membrane trafficking of synaptic adhesion molecules.
Neuropharmacology. 2019-03-01.
10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.02.037 -
A unique intracellular tyrosine in neuroligin-1 regulates AMPA receptor recruitment during synapse differentiation and potentiation
Nat Commun. 2018-09-28. 9(1)
10.1038/s41467-018-06220-2 -
Dynamics, nanoscale organization, and function of synaptic adhesion molecules
Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience. 2018-09-01. 91 : 95-107.
10.1016/j.mcn.2018.04.007 -
Pre-post synaptic alignment through neuroligin-1 tunes synaptic transmission efficiency
eLife. 2018-07-25. 7
10.7554/eLife.31755 -
A Triad of Crystals Sheds Light on MDGA Interference with Neuroligation.
Neuron. 2017-08-01. 95(4) : 729-732.
10.1016/j.neuron.2017.08.001 -
Defective Gpsm2/Gαi3 signalling disrupts stereocilia development and growth cone actin dynamics in Chudley-McCullough syndrome.
Nat Comms. 2017-04-07. 8 : 14907.
10.1038/ncomms14907 -
Optimized labeling of membrane proteins for applications to super-resolution imaging in confined cellular environments using monomeric streptavidin
Nat Protoc. 2017-03-09. 12(4) : 748-763.
10.1038/nprot.2017.010 -
Synaptogenic Assays Using Neurons Cultured on Micropatterned Substrates.
Methods in Molecular Biology. 2016-12-11. : 29-44.
10.1007/978-1-4939-6688-2_3 -
Synaptogenic Assays Using Neurons Cultured on Micropatterned Substrates.
Methods in Molecular Biology. 2016-12-11. : 29-44.
10.1007/978-1-4939-6688-2_3 -
Nanoscale organization of synaptic adhesion proteins revealed by single-molecule localization microscopy
Neurophoton. 2016-11-03. 3(4) : 041810.
10.1117/1.NPh.3.4.041810 -
Molecular determinants for the strictly compartmentalized expression of kainate receptors in CA3 pyramidal cells.
Nat Comms. 2016-09-27. 7 : 12738.
10.1038/ncomms12738 -
Mapping the dynamics and nanoscale organization of synaptic adhesion proteins using monomeric streptavidin
Nature Communications. 2016-03-16. 7(1)
10.1038/ncomms10773 -
The Sorting Receptor SorCS1 Regulates Trafficking of Neurexin and AMPA Receptors
Neuron. 2015-08-01. 87(4) : 764-780.
10.1016/j.neuron.2015.08.007 -
Two-tiered coupling between flowing actin and immobilized N-cadherin/catenin complexes in neuronal growth cones
Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2015-05-18. 112(22) : 6997-7002.
10.1073/pnas.1423455112 -
Mechanical coupling between transsynaptic N-cadherin adhesions and actin flow stabilizes dendritic spines.
MBoC. 2015-03-01. 26(5) : 859-873.
10.1091/mbc.E14-06-1086 -
Nanoscale segregation of actin nucleation and elongation factors determines dendritic spine protrusion.
EMBO J.. 2014-10-07. 33(23) : 2745-2764.
10.15252/embj.201488837 -
miR-92a regulates expression of synaptic GluA1-containing AMPA receptors during homeostatic scaling.
Nat Neurosci. 2014-07-13. 17(8) : 1040-1042.
10.1038/nn.3762 -
Micropatterned substrates coated with neuronal adhesion molecules for high-content study of synapse formation.
Nat Commun. 2013-08-12. 4(1)
10.1038/ncomms3252 -
Assembly of synapses: biomimetic assays to control neurexin/neuroligin interactions at the neuronal surface.
Current Protocols in Neuroscience. 2013-07-01. 64(1)
10.1002/0471142301.ns0219s64 -
Neurexin-1β Binding to Neuroligin-1 Triggers the Preferential Recruitment of PSD-95 versus Gephyrin through Tyrosine Phosphorylation of Neuroligin-1
Cell Reports. 2013-06-01. 3(6) : 1996-2007.
10.1016/j.celrep.2013.05.013 -
Biophysical mechanisms regulating AMPA receptor accumulation at synapses.
Brain Research Bulletin. 2013-04-01. 93 : 57-68.
10.1016/j.brainresbull.2012.11.001 -
Unified quantitative model of AMPA receptor trafficking at synapses
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2012-02-13. 109(9) : 3522-3527.
10.1073/pnas.1109818109 -
Neurexin-neuroligin adhesions capture surface-diffusing AMPA receptors through PSD-95 scaffolds.
Journal of Neuroscience. 2011-09-21. 31(38) : 13500-13515.
10.1523/jneurosci.6439-10.2011 -
Bidirectional integrative regulation of Cav1.2 calcium channel by microRNA miR-103: role in pain.
The EMBO Journal. 2011-07-29. 30(18) : 3830-3841.
10.1038/emboj.2011.249 -
Multi-level molecular clutches in motile cell processes.
Trends in Cell Biology. 2009-09-01. 19(9) : 475-486.
10.1016/j.tcb.2009.07.001 -
Neurexin/neuroligin interaction kinetics characterized by counting single cell-surface attached quantum dots.
Biophysical Journal. 2009-07-01. 97(2) : 480-489.
10.1016/j.bpj.2009.04.044 -
Activity-independent and subunit-specific recruitment of functional AMPA receptors at neurexin/neuroligin contacts.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2008-12-19. 105(52) : 20947-20952.
10.1073/pnas.0804007106 -
Interplay between adhesion turnover and cytoskeleton dynamics in the control of growth cone migration.
Cell Adhesion & Migration. 2008-10-01. 2(4) : 263-267.
10.4161/cam.2.4.7274 -
A molecular clutch between the actin flow and N-cadherin adhesions drives growth cone migration
Journal of Neuroscience. 2008-06-04. 28(23) : 5879-5890.
10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5331-07.2008 -
Probing the dynamics of protein-protein interactions at neuronal contacts by optical imaging.
Chem. Rev.. 2008-05-01. 108(5) : 1565-1587.
10.1021/cr078204m -
Nucleation and growth of cadherin adhesions
Experimental Cell Research. 2007-11-01. 313(19) : 4025-4040.
10.1016/j.yexcr.2007.07.035 -
Characterization of SynCAM surface trafficking using a SynCAM derived ligand with high homophilic binding affinity
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 2007-08-01. 359(3) : 655-659.
10.1016/j.bbrc.2007.05.152 -
Fast turnover of L1 adhesions in neuronal growth cones involving both surface diffusion and exo/endocytosis of L1 molecules
MBoC. 2007-08-01. 18(8) : 3131-3143.
10.1091/mbc.E06-12-1101 -
Extracellular Interactions between GluR2 and N-Cadherin in Spine Regulation
Neuron. 2007-05-01. 54(3) : 461-477.
10.1016/j.neuron.2007.04.012 -
Regulation of N-cadherin dynamics at neuronal contacts by ligand binding and cytoskeletal coupling
MBoC. 2006-02-01. 17(2) : 862-875.
10.1091/mbc.E05-04-0335 -
Weak effect of membrane diffusion on the rate of receptor accumulation at adhesive contacts
Biophysical Journal. 2005-11-01. 89(5) : L40-L42.
10.1529/biophysj.105.071688 -
NrCAM coupling to the cytoskeleton depends on multiple protein domains and partitioning into lipid rafts
MBoC. 2004-10-01. 15(10) : 4695-4709.
10.1091/mbc.E04-03-0171 -
Predicting the kinetics of cell spreading.
Journal of Biomechanics. 2002-08-01. 35(8) : 1137-1141.
10.1016/s0021-9290(02)00075-1 -
Contribution of the nucleus to the mechanical properties of endothelial cells.
Journal of Biomechanics. 2002-02-01. 35(2) : 177-187.
10.1016/s0021-9290(01)00201-9 -
Dynamics of adhesive rupture between fibroblasts and fibronectin: microplate manipulations and deterministic model.
Eur Biophys J. 2000-09-22. 29(6) : 409-419.
10.1007/pl00006648 -
Short-term binding of fibroblasts to fibronectin: optical tweezers experiments and probabilistic analysis.
European Biophysics Journal. 2000-09-22. 29(6) : 398-408.
10.1007/s002490000087 -
A probabilistic model for ligand-cytoskeleton transmembrane adhesion: predicting the behavior of microspheres on the surface of migrating cells.
Journal of Theoretical Biology. 2000-06-01. 204(3) : 381-392.
10.1006/jtbi.2000.2024 -
Changes in the mechanical properties of fibroblasts during spreading: a micromanipulation study.
European Biophysics Journal. 1999-03-09. 28(3) : 222-234.
10.1007/s002490050203 -
Microplates: a new tool for manipulation and mechanical perturbation of individual cells.
Journal of Biochemical and Biophysical Methods. 1999-02-01. 39(1-2) : 47-62.
10.1016/s0165-022x(98)00052-9 -
Time scale dependent viscoelastic and contractile regimes in fibroblasts probed by microplate manipulation.
Journal of Cell Science. 1997-09-01. 110(17) : 2109-2116.
10.1242/jcs.110.17.2109 -
Comparison of the mechanical properties of normal and transformed fibroblasts.
Biorheology. 1997-07-01. 34(4-5) : 309-326.
10.1016/s0006-355x(98)00007-9 -
Critical centrifugal forces induce adhesion rupture or structural reorganization in cultured cells.
Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton. 1996-01-01. 33(4) : 276-287.
10.1002/(sici)1097-0169(1996)33:4<276::aid-cm4>3.0.co;2-7 -
Influence of adhesion and cytoskeletal integrity on fibroblast traction.
Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton. 1996-01-01. 35(3) : 269-280.
10.1002/(sici)1097-0169(1996)35:3<269::aid-cm8>3.0.co;2-3 -
Elongation of confluent endothelial cells in culture: the importance of fields of force in the associated alterations of their cytoskeletal structure.
Experimental Cell Research. 1995-08-01. 219(2) : 427-441.
10.1006/excr.1995.1249 -
Oscillatory shear stress and hydrostatic pressure modulate cell-matrix attachment proteins in cultured endothelial cells.
In Vitro Cell Dev Biol - Animal. 1995-01-01. 31(1) : 45-54.
10.1007/bf02631337